Metal disintegrating device



Jan. 17, 1950 c. D. TUCKER 2,495,038

METAL DISINTEGRATING DEVICE Filed March 20, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l k m lnvenfor P m K w w I Char/es 0. Tucker La Jan. 17, E950 c. D. TUCKER 2,495,038

METAL DISINTEGRATING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Marsch. 20, 1946 lm'amor Char/es D. Tuckar zlffar/ieys Patented Jan. 17, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF-16E METAL DISINTEGRATING DEVICE Charles D. Tucker, Cochranton, Pa.,.assignor to i. Drafto Corporation, Cochranton, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application March 20, l46,.Serial No.-655,781

Claims.

'I'hisinvention relates to metal disintegrators particularly of the type for removing metal studs, .broken tools, and other metal objects from work pieces.

It is a major object of this invention to provide an improved apparatus for actuating a vibrating electrode tool for disintegrating metalparts.

Another important object of the invention is to provide an. improved holder and actuator for a vibrating electrode. and for supplying electric current andcooling fluids thereto.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved support for the reciprocating elecl .trode in a metal disintegrator.

, Another. important object of the invention is .=.-.-the provision of an. improved reciprocating metal disintegrator of novel-construction and requiring a'minimum ofcare and servicing.

. Another specific object of the invention is the provision of a solenoid actuated drive for the reciprocating tool of a metal disintegrator wherein a-spring normally urges the tool away from the work and the solenoid when actuated overcomes ,..the resistance of the spring.

.. Other objects will become apparent as the description progresses in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1: is a more or-less diagrammatic View of. the. assembled device, with thedrive head or actuating mechanism itself shown in detailed sec- -tion along the line taken substantially along line l-.-.l of Figure 2; Figure .2 is a sectional view of the drive head or actuating mechanism taken substantially along 1 the line 22 of Figure 1;

.'.Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 33 of Figure 2;

' Figure 4 is a sectional view taken substantially fialong the line 44 ofFigure 2;

T Figure 5 is a top plan view of the actuatingdevice itself.

' As shown in Figure 1 the mechanism comprises .1 a drive head or actuating mechanism l which ""holds and applies an electrode 2 to a workpiece ""or'th'elike 3'which has a metallic tool particle 4 orithe like broken oil therein." The drive head isadapted to be mounted in any position by means of a support pin 5 which extends from the top thereof and is adapted to be inserted into the "chuck of a drill press or any other device which will provide longitudinal axial travel and the spindle of which is adapted to be locked against f rotation. Electric powerfor the operation of the f -device is connected to the primary 6'of astep down transformer by means'ofi'leads l and 8 whichv are connected to the power line 9 and i0 by means of a double pole switch or thelike ll. .The transformer secondary I2 is tapped as shown I so that the voltage applied to the electrode 2 in the drive head may be varied by shifting the contact arm 83 along the taps IS. The contact arm l3 onthe transformer secondary is grounded at ll.- The other end of the transformer secondary is connected by a lead 19 to a'clamp' 26 .on a metallic nipple 2i. A. lead l8 which furnishes current to the solenoid El, is connected to thehighest voltage terminal It on the transformer secondary.

- A pump 22, driven by a motor23, pumps cooling with the nipple 32 so that cooling fluid from the pump 22 is delivered to the flexible conduit 34. An electricconduit 36 of high current capacity is electrically connected to the enlarged portion. 3|. .The conduit 3% may have an insulating covering 31. A second metallic nipple 38 is threadedlyreceived at its smaller end in a block 92 which is also of conducting material, and has a central passageway iiltherethrough. The nipple 38 has a passageway M which communicates at, one'end with. the passageway it and at the other end with a nipples? to which the other end of the flexible conduittt is connected by a fitting 43. A protective flexible covering 44 of fabric braid or-the like encloses and confines the lead ill, the flexible conduit 34, and the electric conduit 36 between the nipples 2 I and 38 since the distance between these nipples is usuallyin the order of several feet.

- That part of the mechanism which has beende- .scribed above serves to furnish electric power and cooling fluidto the drivehead l which will now 45 be described.

The drive head I, which is indicated generally by. the reference number I, comprises a frame 41 which is. substantially D-shaped as bestshown .in Figure 2. The frame 41 is a casting of aluminum, plastic or. other suitable material. The

. support. pin 5 passes through an opening. in

the ,top of the frame 41 and is electrically insulated therefrom by insulation 49 sothat the drive head I is electrically insulated from the drill press or other mechanismv upon. which it is normally mounted when in use. The lower end of the support pin 5 is threaded to receive a nut 50 which nut securely fastens the support pin to the frame. The frame is bored coaxially with the support pin 5 to receive a spindle 5| which is mounted in upper and lower bearings 52 and 53 for longitudinal reciprocation within the frame 41. The upper end of the spindle 5| has a central bore 54 which houses a compression spring 55. The up per end of the spring engages a retainer 56 which is held against upward movement within bore 54 by a pin 51 which passes completely through the spindle 5| as best shown in Figure 3 and is retained in position by suitable means. The lower end of the spring 55 bears against a retainer 58 which has a central disk shaped portion received within the bore 54 and has diametrically opposed wings 59 and 50 which extend through slots BI and 62 respectively in the tubular walls of the spindle near the bottom of the bore 54. The wings 59 and 60 rest upon the top of a horizontally disposed portion 63 of the frame 41. These slots GI and 62 are elongated longitudinally of the spindle 5| so that the retainer 58 can remain stationary and be supported by the portion 63 as the spindle 5| is reciprocated longitudinally. Thus downward movement of the spindle 5| compresses the spring 55 between the retainers 56 and 58.

The solenoid 61 is mounted within the frame 41 so that its armature 6B is movable in a vertical direction and parallel to the axis of the spindle 5|. A rocker arm 59 of integral forked construction as indicated in Figure 3 is pivotally connected to the frame 41 by means of a pin which passes through the end of the rocker arm and through a lug 1| which is integral with the frame. A link 13 which is coaxial with the armature 68, is pivotally connected to the two portions of the rocker arm 69 by a pin 14 and at its lower end is pivotally connected to the armature 68 by a pin 15, so that movement of the armature 68 will cause the rocker arm 89 to move counterclock- Wise about its pivot 10, as viewed in Figure 2, when the solenoid is actuated. The end of the arm 09 remote from its pivotal support at 10 spans the spindle 5| just above the pin 51. Upward movement of the armature 68 of the solenoid is limited by lugs 16 (Fig. 2) which engage the guide elements 11 at the upper end of the armature. Thus the upward movement of spindle 5| is limited through pin 51 by the limit of V the upward movement of the rocker arm 69 which is connected to the armature. The lower end of the spindle has a central coolant bore 18 which terminates at the bottom in a conical seat 19 to receive the electrode 2. The electrode has an annular recess 80 adjacent the bottom of the spindle. A substantially U-shaped retainer has its legs 8| and 92 pivotally attached to the bottom portion of the spindle 5| by means of pins 83 and 84. The bottom 85 of the retainer is slotted so that when the retainer is swung down into the position shown in Figure 1, the walls of the slot in the bottom 85 engage the groove 80 in the electrode to force the electrode upward and hold it in the conical seat 19. The electrode 2 is thus inserted or removed by swinging the retainer into the retracted position shown in dotted lines, Figure 1 where it is disengaged from the groove in the electrode. Thus the electrode is held in the bottom of the spindle so that it makes good electrical contact and will not fall out during operation of the device.

A rubber boot 86 surrounds the spindle and the bottom of the frame 41, being secured to each, and preventing the entrance of dirt and cooling fluid, etc., into the bearing 53.

At a point adjacent the top of the coolant bore 18 the spindle 5| is provided with a power connection 81 which is fixedly secured thereto in any suitable manner to form an enlargement on the spindle. A nipple 88 is, threaded into the connection 81 and has communication with the bore 18 through a hole 89.

Adjacent the top of the frame 41 a rectangular metallic block 92 extends transversely of the frame and is fastened thereto by means of screws 93 and 94, there being separating washers 95 between the frame 41 and the block 92. The nipple 38 is threaded into the block and communicates with the central axial bore 40 therein as described before. A flexible tube 91 is connected at its ends to the nipples 38 and 96. Thus cooling fluid from tank 24 which is delivered to the passageway 40 during operation of the device passes through the tube 91, hole 89 and bore 18 to be delivered to the tool particle 4 by means of the central bore 18 within the electrode.

A pair of conducting wires IOI and I02 are each electrically connected at their lower ends to the power connection 81 on the spindle 5| as best indicated in Figure 1. The wires IOI and H02 pass through the frame adjacent its outer curved portion and substantially paralleling the flexible tube 01 being electrically connected at their upper ends to the block 92 in a manner similar to the connection to the power connection 81. The wires |0I and I02 have a large carrying capacity in order to furnish suf ficient power to the electrode 2 to generate the are required to do the work. In view of the fact that the lower ends of the Wires are reciprocated up and down at high speed with the spindle, while the upper ends of the wires are fixed to the immovable block 92, two wires are used instead of one in order to provide sufficient flexibility. The loop in these wires between their connections to the connector 81 and to the block 92 further adds to their flexibility and permits them to be subjected to the rapid vibration without fatigue breakage. The coil of the solenoid 81 is connected by a wire I03 (Figure 1) to a jack I04 which is mounted on but electrically insulated from a side wall I05, which is secured to the frame 41 by means of screws I06 and I01, etc. (Figure 3), which have threaded engagement with lugs I08, integral with the frame 41. A similar side wall I09 is attached to the frame 41 on the other side. The block 92 has integral circular end portions 39 which pass through holes in the side walls I 05 and I09. The end remote from nipple 39 is closed by a threaded plug 99. The lead i8 has a plug I I0 which is inserted into the jack I04. The other electrical connection to the solenoid 61 comprises a wire I I (Figure 1) which is connected to the block 92. The leads H33 and III and the lead I8, all of which furnish power to the solenoid are of much smaller current carrying capacity than the conducting rods Illl and I02, which are of course in parallel, and the conduit 36.

The normal position for the spindle 5| when no power is applied to the device is in the extreme upward position shown in Figure 2, towards which it is urged by the spring 55.

As soon as the head I has been lowered so that the electrode 2 is at the proper elevation with respect to the tool particle 4 which is to be-removed, electrical power may be applied to the head by closing the switch II. This aotuates solenoid 61 and forces spindle to the bottom of its stroke. The power supplied to the motor 23 is controlled by independent means such as switch I I2, which may be connected to the same power line 9 and In of the switch As the head I is lowered by the drill press or other suitable means and with switch closed, the electrode 2 will contact the work, represented by the tool particle 4. When the electrode contacts the work 4, a circuit is completed between the ground connection to the work piece 3 on the one hand and through the electrode 2, the spindle 5|, the conducting wires WI and IE2, block 92, nipple 38, conduit 36, nipple 2|, and lead l9 to the transformer. The spindle 5| will remain in the lowermost position until the electrode 2 engages the tool particle 4. The resistance of the above described circuit is very low because of the ample dimensions of the conducting elements. The wiring from both sides of the solenoid 61 and the circuit including this wiring is of very much greater resistance and impedance than that of the circuit to the electrode 2. The result is that when the electrode 2 is brought into contact with the work the resistance of the power circuit to the electrode is so low as compared to that of the solenoid circuit that the solenoid circuit is effectively shunted out of action to render it ineffective. Thus the spring 55 raises the spindle 5| to disengage the electrode from the work piece. This of course immediately breaks the power circuit to the electrode and allows the control circuit to the solenoid to become operative again and to force the spindle to the bottom of its stroke again. This entire cycle is repeated several times each second and results in the disintegration of the work piece wherever contacted by the electrode 2.

While the device has been described as a dis integrator which causes the breaking up of a metal article by rapid heating and cooling of a portion thereof it is to be understood that it is not restricted to such use since it may be used for hammering, chiseling or riveting, etc.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

l. A machine for working or disintegrating metals or the like comprising a frame; a projecting spindle mounted for longitudinal reciprocative movement in said frame and adapted to hold an electrode; resilient means operative to urge said spindle towards said frame; electromagnetic means operative to move said spindle outwardly from said frame; and an electrical circuit for energizing said electrode and said electromagnetic means, said circuit including means operative to render said electromagnetic means inefiective upon the energization of said electrode.

2. A metal working or disintegrating machine comprising a hollow metallic electrode; means to deliver cooling fluid through said electrode; electromagnetic means operable to urge said electrode towards the work; second means operable to urge said electrode away from said work; and an electric circuit operable to energize said electromagnetic means and to energize said electrode upon contact with said work, said circuit including means operative to render said electromagnetic means ineffective in response to contact of said electrode with the work.

3. A metal working or disintegrating machine comprising a metallic electrode; electromagnetic means operable to urge said electrode towards the work; second means operable to urge said electrode away from said work, said second means being weaker than said first means; and an electric circuit of low resistance and including said electrode, operative to be closed when said electrode engages the work, said electric circuit including a high resistance shunt including said electromagnetic means in parallel with said electrode, whereby said electromagnetic means is rendered ineffective upon engagement of said electrode with the work.

4. In a device for working or disintegrating metals, a drive head; a spindle mounted in said drive head for reciprocating movement, said spindle being adapted to support an electrode; electromagnetic means within said drive head for imparting a reciprocating movement to said spindle; means in said drive head for deliverin cooling fluid to said spindle and an electrode held thereby; cooling fluid and electric supply means; a flexible conduit connecting said fluid current and electric supply means to said drive head, said conduit including a pair of leads for actuating said electromagnetic means and one of said leads being connected to said spindle; and additional means operative to connect said electrical supply means to said spindle.

5. A metal working or disintegrating machine comprising a metallic electrode; first means operable to urge said electrode towards a work piece; second means operable to urge said electrode away from the work piece; and an electric circuit operable to energize said first means and to energize said electrode upon contact with the work, said circuit including an electromagnet means for energizing said first means, said electromagnet means being in parallel with and of much higher impedance than that portion of the circuit for energizing said electrode, whereby said electromagnetic means is ineffective upon contact of said electrode with the work piece.

CHARLES D. TUCKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,079,310 Bennett Ma 4, 1937 2,383,382 Harding Aug. 21, 1945 2,383,383 Harding Aug. 21, 1945 2,385,665 Warwick Sept. 25, 1945 2,399,212 Dawson et al Apr. 30, 1946 

